Last night, he completed one of the most improbable shots you’ll ever see right before the half of the Clippers’ matchup against the Nuggets. It came suddenly and out of nowhere. It was a voila moment not because of the shot itself, per se, but because of the shooter. Collison’s circus shot was performed in L.A., making its entry into the Top Plays Theatre all the more fitting.

A lot had to go right for this play to work, so we’ll boil it down to the two essentials. The Clippers had to get the ball (they were on D). Second, whoever got the pill had to throw up a contorted, non-set shot and hope it escaped his hands in time, much less made its way into the hoop.

Collison cared nothing about those odds. Why? Because he has shocked and awed before. The primary S&A moment came on an eerily similar buzzer-beater Dec. 27, 2012 against the Thunder, as a Dallas Maverick:

It’s something about the winter that gets the former UCLA Bruin going. Collison, son of two world-class Guyanan track athletes, connected both of his incredible shots on different legs. Last night, he needed Matt Barnes to deflect the ball to the right spot so he could corral the rock and launch a right-legged strike. Last year, he needed a Vince Carter deflection, a Shawn Marion dish and a left leg ready to set up a moment the Collison family can boast about for a long, long time.

I don’t expect anyone to challenge him at H-O-R-S-E for high stakes anytime soon.

9 Comments

Are you kidding, it’s not even close the other way. A. The clippers were on defense not offense when it was tipped to Collison by Barnes, B) He shoots it with one hand in the Clipper game unlike the other with two. C the defender was in his face unlike the Mavs game where he was by him self. The Clipper miracle shot wins easily. Case closed.